I'm glad that you were able to change your own axle. Here is a little tip in taking out the ball joints...

Should eliminate any damge to the boot next time. Using the pickel fork or seperator will always tear out the boot. If you're replacing an old one then its ok but with a new one its a no no. With your new oem LCA ball joint (with fluid filled type bushing), it would have been safer for the boot if you remove the other 3 bolts holding your LCA. Then, put a piece of wood close to the ball joint and tap it down with a hammer to remove from the knuckle. Anyways, now, you have the option to just swap out the ball joint itself with a press or change the entire lca. There is a posted diy on this. Good luck. Here's some pix when I replaced my LCAs and left axle seal a year ago.

 

Man, that video on tapping the side of the ball joint fitting is GREAT!!

 

Thanks for the info. That would have made it much easier! I think I am going to swap out the ball joint next weekend.

 

Unless you are a qualified mechanic, these types of repairs are best done by a professional. Putting my life on the line to save a few hundred dollars is not my idea of a wise investment!

 

HUH? :ucrazy: Whatcha talkin about willis? :8:

 

I repeat..."Unless you are a qualified mechanic, these types of repairs are best done by a professional. Putting my life on the line to save a few hundred dollars is not my idea of a wise investment!"

 

I repeat..."Unless you are a qualified mechanic, these types of repairs are best done by a professional. Putting my life on the line to save a few hundred dollars is not my idea of a wise investment!"

I am far from being a qualified mechanic, yet two days ago I replaced the rusty oil pan on my MO, and last year I replaced the front brake pads and rotors, added HID headlights and fogs, and signal mirrors. Over the years I have replaced engines, transmissions, alternators, water pumps, fuel pumps, carbs, radios, springs, etc. Some of these tasks were done to save money, but most were done simply for the satisfaction of doing the job myself. And believe me, I am far from being a qualified mechanic, having spent all of my professional career behind a desk.

Some people, like myself and many other forum members, welcome the challenge of repairing their own vehicles and enjoy the satisfaction of a job well done.

Most mechanical repairs are pretty straight forward if you have helpful guidance, the right tools and confidence in your abilities. I figure if we provide the helpful guidance it is up to the member to determine if he has the necessary tools and ability. We are here to support, not chastise.

-njjoe

 

Well said njjoe, I am far from being a qualified mechanic myself as well. However, I do like to tinker and do some of my own work. I do my own routine maintenance like oil and brake jobs, then research the rest. If its something I think I can tackle, I do it myself. If not, I take it to a shop or a friend who is more mechanically inclined.

 

For the lower ball joint, shouldnt it just slide out once the bolt is removed? It looks like its held in place by the bolt and the knuckle closing in around it, instead of pressing itself into the knuckle.

I'll be replacing this axle on our Murano as well in the next week or so, its been slinging grease for a good 50k miles and recently the boot split open completely, but it only really makes noise when its really cold outside haha.

 

Theoretically, yes. But as I found out, it doesn't just slide out and it is hard to get enough leverage on it to separate it from the hub without damaging the boot. There is a little shoulder on the ball joint LCA end which prevents it from easily separating from the knuckle, especially since that joint will move freely and is not fixed.

You can do like Nitely suggested and remove the other 3 bolts holding the LCA and then, put a piece of wood close to the ball joint and tap it down with a hammer to separate it from the knuckle. This allows you much better angles to separate the joint. Hope this helps.

 

OK- I got the CV axle out pretty easy-- even the lower ball joint came off the knuckle easily. I removed the three inner bolts and pulled the whole shaft out... But the new CV axle doesn't include the new inner shaft (that goes through the bearing support and into the TC). Is there some secret to separating these shafts?

 

OK- I got the CV axle out pretty easy-- even the lower ball joint came off the knuckle easily. I removed the three inner bolts and pulled the whole shaft out... But the new CV axle doesn't include the new inner shaft (that goes through the bearing support and into the TC). Is there some secret to separating these shafts?

you will need to remove the inner boot.

 

OK.. Question.. I'm hoping someone gets back to me quickly (fingers crossed)

I have everything removed, Steering Knucle, Brakes, Etc. Ready to pull the passenger side CV axle which I've purchases a rebuilt from AutoZone. Now, it seems on the AWD (unlike the 2WD) you do NOT need to unscrew anything once you have everything free. It seems with the AWD (2006 SL AWD) that the Axle should just slide off once you've remove everything and removal of the Support Bearing Bracket on FAX-9 is only for the FWD model?

At this point I've tried beating the hell out the the back of the axle to get it off and it's not budging. I put Liquid Wrence on but then someone told me about PB Buster so I got a can and resprayed where the axle connects to the transfer case (passenger side) Hoping tomorrow it will had loosened up. But the big question it, which the FAX guide seems to suggest is that I DO NOT have to remove the anything from the dust shield since I'm AWD and the AWD axle is completely different than the FWD only version??

FYI, this is a '06, SL AWD.

Thanks!

 

OK.. Question.. I'm hoping someone gets back to me quickly (fingers crossed)

I have everything removed, Steering Knucle, Brakes, Etc. Ready to pull the passenger side CV axle which I've purchases a rebuilt from AutoZone. Now, it seems on the AWD (unlike the 2WD) you do NOT need to unscrew anything once you have everything free. It seems with the AWD (2006 SL AWD) that the Axle should just slide off once you've remove everything and removal of the Support Bearing Bracket on FAX-9 is only for the FWD model?

At this point I've tried beating the hell out the the back of the axle to get it off and it's not budging. I put Liquid Wrence on but then someone told me about PB Buster so I got a can and resprayed where the axle connects to the transfer case (passenger side) Hoping tomorrow it will had loosened up. But the big question it, which the FAX guide seems to suggest is that I DO NOT have to remove the anything from the dust shield since I'm AWD and the AWD axle is completely different than the FWD only version??

FYI, this is a '06, SL AWD.

Thanks!

Stick a flat screwdriver between the transfer case and drive shaft and with a little force it should pop out.

 

I had to loosen the bolts holding the CV axle in, then remove it completely from the transfer case and then separate it with brute force. No way it was coming easy. Even trying a pull hammer I pulled the inner boot off the axle before the axle came off! So I went with the unscrewing of the plate and removal of the complete axle. PITA!

 

I ended up doing the same thing.

This part hasn't been made very clear: On the passenger side, there are TWO shafts, joined end-to-end here... the CV axle (outboard, with both CV joints). The outer end of the CV axle has male splines that go through the hub, and the inner end has female splines, which fit over the end of the inner shaft [I'll call this the driveshaft]. The CV axle is about 20" long, and the driveshaft is just slightly shorter (maybe 18"). The driveshaft has the bearing support on it.

This is what I discovered... The shafts are held together with a loose-fitting circlip that fits in a groove about 1/8" from the end of the driveshaft male splines. Fitting the two shafts together, the circlip is compressed, then expands once inside and at the end of the female splines on the CV axle.

Once I removed the three 8mm bolts holding the bearing support, I was able to easily remove both shafts as one unit-- no force required. A few ounces of gear oil spilled out the TC once the driveshaft was removed.

Once removed from the vehicle, I was able to separate the two shafts by prying with a large flat-blade screwdriver. This did wreck the dust boot on the old CV axle, but oh well-- the new CV axle had the new dust boot on it.

Looking back on it, I THINK I could have separated the two shafts the same way, but without removing the bearing support and pulling the driveshaft from the TC. Putting the two shafts back together just took a good, solid rap with a 3-lb. dead-blow hammer. This would have avoided spilling oil from the TC once I removed the driveshaft.

Hope this clarifies things a little. I think I could have done the whole job in a about an hour if I had known this.

 

Exactly Mikie.

My problem now is when I replaced my driver side bearings the ABS sensor bolt top snapped right off, so I had to drill and tap a new hole. Well, same thing happened with the passenger side.. but now, my tap snapped off inside the new hole! Waiting for a bit and larger tap from McMaster.. I told them I need a very strong bit to get through that hardened tap. Let's hope it works or I'll be without a car for the weekend while I order a new steering knuckle, which I don't want to do since they are about $300.

 

Hey everyone, just wanted to add my experience with this maintenance.

My wife's Murano had quite a bit of rust, especially for a 2007, and made for quite the headache in getting things apart during the replacement. In particular, the ball joint was rusted into the steering knuckle, and had galled the bolt that was through the back side of the steering knuckle that pinches the ball joint. Also, if there is a problem in getting this bolt out, it is probably because the ball joint needs to be centered around the bolt, due to the clearance in the bolt hole. I have included a crude schematic of what it looks like, and what may cause issues in disassembly/assembly:

imgur: the simple image sharer

Also, as Mikie says:
"This part hasn't been made very clear: On the passenger side, there are TWO shafts, joined end-to-end here... the CV axle (outboard, with both CV joints). The outer end of the CV axle has male splines that go through the hub, and the inner end has female splines, which fit over the end of the inner shaft [I'll call this the driveshaft]. The CV axle is about 20" long, and the driveshaft is just slightly shorter (maybe 18"). The driveshaft has the bearing support on it.

This is what I discovered... The shafts are held together with a loose-fitting circlip that fits in a groove about 1/8" from the end of the driveshaft male splines. Fitting the two shafts together, the circlip is compressed, then expands once inside and at the end of the female splines on the CV axle.

Once I removed the three 8mm bolts holding the bearing support, I was able to easily remove both shafts as one unit-- no force required. A few ounces of gear oil spilled out the TC once the driveshaft was removed.

Once removed from the vehicle, I was able to separate the two shafts by prying with a large flat-blade screwdriver. This did wreck the dust boot on the old CV axle, but oh well-- the new CV axle had the new dust boot on it."

This was a big problem for me. I wasn't able to get the shafts apart without taking it to a machine shop to use the BFH (big freaking hammer). Don't stress too much if you can't get it apart, and seek help outside your garage!

Other than that, the replacement was smooth thanks to all the helpful images and descriptions on this site. So thank you to all!

 

Sorry to add to an old thread...Hi....long time lurker, new member...

2006 AWD SL...my daughters car....I had to also pull the entire axle assembly. came out easy. my problem is putting it back together. I could not get the "circlip" to click back in, so I re-installed the "axle" into the tranny/TC housing, then started to put the CV shaft on, hoping it would "press" in....any tips on getting it back on? hard to get the CV's line up straight, and whack the end of the shaft (with nut on of course) at the same time...

I also read this on another thread...

.Did you remember to drain and refill your transfercase with fresh fluid once the new axle was installed? The passenger side axle mates with an internal seal inside the transfercase that keeps cvt fluid on the tranny side and gear oil on the tcase side. When you remove that axle, it cross contaminates the fluids."

Yet I also read this was not a problem...Im a bit confused...anyone help?

Thanks!

Ron

 

Well, I figured it out. I reassembled everything, then jacked up and down on the lower A-arm, while whacking the end shaft with a block of wood, and it finally popped in. Whew, what a job.

Belts, cv, TC, rear diff fluid next....

Still need to know about the cross contamination thing...

 

I will be replacing my passenger side cv axle in the morning...yay. Are there any do's or do not's that have not yet been mentioned? I've read not to put too much of an angle on the axle...(kinda subjective)...Do I need to do anything with the Driver's side while I'm working on the right (passenger)?
Someone here mentioned fluid loss, and AirtekHVAC brought it back up about a month ago...(See above). I guess I will soon discover what a PITA this actually is? HA!, here is a thought. Someone on here should sell tiny little stickers that say, "PITA". That way, whenever someone on here completes a project, they can apply said sticker in that area. For example, I could have one on my pump to gear PS hose, and one on the air intake plenum.

 

Lost about 2 quart of cv fluid on change... I think it was over serviced as 1 quart was needed to get to correct service level after the axles were changed. 2005 SL not awd so no transfer case. CVT uses NS2 fluid, transfer case uses gearlube API 5GL SAE 80-90, so if those are mixing there are bigger problems than the CV axles...The procedures posted here all worked very well, about 2 hours for drivers side, and about three for the pax side.

 

I just went in for my yearly oil change today and my mechanic said I needed to replace my cv axle on the passenger side. He asked if I had heard a clicking when turning/driving and I have been but that's been going on for almost a year now. I purchased the car July 2011 and hit a pothole shortly thereafter one lovely rainy florida afternoon and started hearing the noise. I took the car by my mechanic, my stepfather's mechanic when I went home and another mechanic who all said they didn't see anything wrong. And when driving with someone in the car nobody could hear the sound but me so it seemed like i was going crazy lol. Anyway he quoted me a price on the repair and said it would be around $350 with labor and transmission oil he'll have to get from a dealer. Just wondering if that's a good price for job which he quoted as 4 to 5 hrs.
Thanks.

 

That sounds like a great price to me. I did the repair in the garage, and it took me much longer than that. It cost me about $90 total I think. It just depends on how valuable your time is.

As a side note, the initial post in this thread is damn confusing. The only instance I needed a hammer is when I used a rubber mallet and a 2x4 to gently release the outer LCA bolt under/behind the steering knuckle. sheesh.

 

Thanks for the reply dustmaker. I totally forgot about my post and now just reading your reply. I still haven't had it repaired yet though, is it something I should do before something bad happens? I'm guessing since nothing major has happened since 2011 I suppose not but still. I just crossed the 100,000 mile mark as well so I know it's time for coolant flushing, spark plug changing etc. Btw is that "mr. sinister" as your avatar? I take it your an x-men fan as well then

 

Wrong Shaft

Hey everyone I'm hoping you guys can help me. I recently pulled the passengers side CV Axle out of my wife's 2007 Nissan Murano S AWD and I ran into the problem of purchasing the wrong part, or so it seems. I've contacted every parts store I can think of and apparently no one carries the part I need.

If you look at the picture that I have posted the old shaft is on top and the one that I have purchased is on the bottom. This is the part of the shaft that goes into the transfer case/gear box whatever.

I'm not able to find an exact match anywhere. But from what I've been reading it sounds like, and bear with me I'm not very smart, that this part of the shaft can be removed as it is a separate shaft. Is this the case? If someone could explain to me if this is true and how to do it I will buy you ice cream. Thanks. Hopefully that makes sense.

 

Hey everyone I'm hoping you guys can help me. I recently pulled the passengers side CV Axle out of my wife's 2007 Nissan Murano S AWD and I ran into the problem of purchasing the wrong part, or so it seems. I've contacted every parts store I can think of and apparently no one carries the part I need.

If you look at the picture that I have posted the old shaft is on top and the one that I have purchased is on the bottom. This is the part of the shaft that goes into the transfer case/gear box whatever.

I'm not able to find an exact match anywhere. But from what I've been reading it sounds like, and bear with me I'm not very smart, that this part of the shaft can be removed as it is a separate shaft. Is this the case? If someone could explain to me if this is true and how to do it I will buy you ice cream. Thanks. Hopefully that makes sense.

Hi, I am in the exact same situation as joshuacherup, just wondering if anyone has confirmed that this is the right or wrong part. I check on the manufacturers website and they confirmed that according to them it is the correct part for my vin, which is a 2007 AWD murano. The axle assembly's are almost identical except when it comes to the side axle. I believe nitely stated that the awd's did not bolt up to a bearing bracket support but I can confirm that in the 2007 AWD they do bolt up. The difference is the design of the shaft itself length is the same but the original part has a couple of extra tapered areas.

 

Thats for a FWD MO. The AWD right CV axle does not come with the support bracket. It ends with female spline opening-inner side. Something like this.......2004 Nissan Murano CV Front Axle Shaft 407 38 012. I would go to your local parts store like autozone and physically check out what they have. Good luck.

You separate the old right cv axle by wedging a prybar between the support bracket and the cv housing and giving a strong sudden jerk motion to release the circ clip locking it together.

 

I will be doing this soon as I have the knocking when wheel is being turned, more noticeable when turned to left. I just have a few questions:

-How do you diagnose which side needs the replacing, or should both sides just get replaced at this point?
-Do you need an alignment once complete since we are touching tie rods?
-Anything special/different for AWD procedure?


05, 120k miles. Thanks!

 

Bueller?

Would appreciate any other advice on the topic.

Thanks!

 

Tuxie,

Looks like the axle on top is the original and the one at the bottom is the replacement. It looks like that replacement is for a FWD and not for AWD. I would not force it. What brand is this aftermarket? I think some folks retains the original shaft that goes into the TC/CVT up to the support bracket, and then connect the new one from that end out to the wheel. You basically remove the CV joint from the shaft at the support bracket area. See pic on link of my previeous post. Before you do this, measure that the lenght of original and replacement from the wheel end to the support bracket--they have to be the same. But I really think that CV axle is for a FWD.